Arihnda Pryce
Arihnda Pryce was a female human who served as sector governor of the Lothal sector and the Director of Imperial Intelligence. Biography Early life Arihnda Pryce was born in 6 BBY on the planet Lothal in Lothal City but raised in a small mountain village in the Easthills. Her father, Yuri, was an officer in the Imperial Navy while her mother, Irina, worked as a teacher. She grew up with at least one sibling and was distantly related to the famed Isard family on her mother's side. A naturally curious child, Pryce took to dissecting small animals in an innocent attempt to understand life and biology which caused even her own mother to fear her. Things worsened when her apparent psychic powers began to manifest themselves as a teenager around the time of her father's death. The superstitious villagers shunned her, called her a witch, and even worse, her family was ostracized. As soon as she was old enough, she fled her family, the village and the planet altogether, certain that a better life could only be found in the wider galaxy. Her quest took her far and wide, eventually settling on Prefsbelt IV where she attended the Imperial Naval Academy. There, she studied classical fencing and became expert with the rapier, the saber and the foil. Pryce would eventually graduate with honours and joined the Imperial Security Bureau for several years. While working alongside the Imperial Science Department around 22 ABY, she participated in numerous experiments in telepathy and telekinesis. In one such experiment, it verified for Pryce that there was a tangible psychic link between living beings. Pryce's work eventually became known to Dantius Palpatine himself who was so impressed by her that he personally recruited her for some of his most classified research projects. She was awarded the honorary title of Order of Glory for exceptional achievements in economy and culture, as well as the Hero of the Empire award, one of the highest decorations in the Empire. Pryce soon learned that he too had telepathic ability that stemmed from his strong connection to the Force which he believed was also the case with the young woman. In short order she became Palpatine's pupil, learning much from him, including techniques originally developed by monks to control one's heart rate, breathing and body temperature. Whilst operating alongside the Emperor, Pryce's personal allegiance to him developed into a passionate romance. She soon transitioned into Imperial Intelligence and permanently relocated to the Imperial capital world of Bastion. Personality and traits Arihnda Pryce was an ambitious dominatrix who was completely devoted to her goals. While she was from Lothal, she looked down upon her Lothalian roots and had no interest in remaining there. She sold out her homeworld to the Emperor and allowed the Galactic Empire to make Lothal their local headquarters in the Lothal sector. She placed her own ambitions and career aspirations over the interests of the Lothalian people; this stood in contrast to her deputy ruler, Maketh Tua, who genuinely cared for the people. She rarely visited Lothal and only returned to her homeworld because the planet had become a haven for rebels in c. 34 ABY. Pryce displayed a very determined devotion to the Empire, and was seen as a genuine patriot. Pryce held little regard for others, deeming extremely high civilian casualties as "acceptable" due to there being no more rebels in the Batonn sector. She was also willing to torture the rebel spy Sabine Wren in order to obtain intelligence on the rebellion. Pryce smirked in a sadistic manner after witnessing the deliberate death of Morad Sumar in a speeder explosion. Among her men, she was a figure to be feared and respected. Her subordinates were mistrustful of her mental powers, and often referred to her as witch, as she had been called in her childhood. Despite her confident demeanor, Pryce reacted with alarm when Krennic suspected that the Empire had a traitor among their ranks. When she suggested interrogating all Imperial personnel, Krennic cautioned that this would only alert the traitor and advocated luring the culprit into a trap. Pryce held a surprising degree of respect for Han Solo, admiring his deductive abilities and was intrigued by the fact that she was unable to read the former General’s mind. She gave an unconventional amount of leeway with Solo during his investigations, though reluctantly, on her behalf. She treated the adventurer as an equal, and it is quite possible that, had they not been on opposite sides of the moral and political board, they would have made a fine team. She even allowed Solo to know of her ultimate plan, a rather foolish thing to share with an enemy. Pryce was also not above using her gender to take advantage of male opponents, an example being when, during a duel, her chest became partially exposed, catching the eye of young Trent Solo. She used the distraction to attack the boy. Arihnda was considered stunningly beautiful by many, but with cold impassioned eyes. Pryce would also wear a large set of sunglasses, enhancing her intimidating appearance. She wore black leather boots and occasionally gloves. Arihnda was usually dressed in a gray Imperial military uniform. Skills and abilities Unlike some other Imperial officials, Arihnda Pryce had received martial arts training and was not afraid to get her hands dirty if necessary. On one occasion, she actively engaged Sabine Wren in a fistfight rather than summon reinforcements or flee as most other officers would have done. Though Pryce managed to get in a few blows, her prowess was under-matched against a Mandalorian. Wren claimed victory in the fight by knocking Pryce into an interrogation table and electrocuting her. She was also highly skilled in fencing, a skill that won the admiration of Colonel Dovchenko. Appearances }} Notes and references Category:Females Category:Humans Category:Moffs of the Galactic Empire‎ Category:Inhabitants of Lothal Category:Inhabitants of Bastion